The Senedd met by video-conference at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.

Statement by the Llywydd

Welcome, and in accordance with Standing Order 12.3A, I have agreed to summon the Senedd as a matter of urgent public importance for a statement on COVID-19. Before we begin, I need to set out a few points. A Plenary meeting held by video-conference, in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament, constitutes Senedd proceedings for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Some of the provisions of Standing Order 34 will apply for today's Plenary meeting, and these are set out on your agenda. And I would remind Members that Standing Orders relating to order in Plenary meetings apply to this meeting.

1. Statement by the First Minister: Update on COVID-19

The first and only item this afternoon is a statement by the First Minister—an update on COVID-19. I call on the First Minister to make his statement—Mark Drakeford.

Mark Drakeford AC: Thank you, Llywydd, for this opportunity to address the Senedd about the fast-moving omicron variant of coronavirus and the rapidly evolving public health situation. It's been just over a week since the health Minister updated Members before the Senedd broke for recess. When she spoke to you, there were 32 confirmed cases of omicron and the overall coronavirus case rate in Wales was high but stable.

Mark Drakeford AC: Today, that situation has changed markedly and the approaching storm is bearing down upon us. The very latest figures show that there are now 941 confirmed cases of omicron, and that number is rising, and it is present now in every area of Wales. Omicron is already the dominant variant in England and Scotland, and it is only a matter of time before it overtakes delta as the dominant form of the virus across Wales too. For many weeks, we have had high but stable rates of coronavirus in Wales, at around 500 cases per 100,000 people. But these, too, have risen sharply in the last few days. Today, that figure has moved beyond 600 per 100,000 people, in a combination now of both delta and omicron cases. Numbers in this scale already risk putting our public services under considerable strain because of sickness absences, and we can only expect this to intensify as we move into the omicron wave after Christmas.
Llywydd, throughout the pandemic, we have reviewed our coronavirus regulations every three weeks to ensure we have the right protections in place to keep Wales safe. Because of the speed of change, we have moved to a weekly cycle of Cabinet meetings and we have—[Inaudible.]

I think we may have lost the First Minister. I'm going to pause a second whilst we see if we can hear again the First Minister. I think maybe your connection has resumed, First Minister, so if you can just go back a couple of sentences, I think we'll catch you up.

Mark Drakeford AC: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I was explaining that, because of the speed of change, we have moved to a weekly cycle of Cabinet meetings. Since the health Minister last updated the Senedd, the Cabinet has met four times in a week to consider the latest public health advice, and I've also held discussions over that week with the Prime Minister, the First Ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and formal meetings between the four nations of the UK have taken place on at least three separate occasions. These intensive discussions have focused on the latest scientific and clinical advice and the latest data we have available to consider what protections we need in place in the days before and after Christmas.
Llywydd, it's because the onset of omicron cases in Wales is running some days behind the dominant pattern elsewhere in the UK, the Cabinet decided last week that we would continue at alert level 0 through the rest of this week and up to Christmas itself. But we have already changed the law for the post-Christmas period on working from home, to provide new rights for employees and new duties for employers.

Mark Drakeford AC: The Chief Medical Officer for Wales is writing to everyone on the shielding list to offer them tailored advice about staying safe and protecting themselves from the omicron variant. We strongly advise anyone to take extra precautions to protect themselves, because nobody wants to be ill over Christmas. This year, the safest Christmas will, indeed, be a smaller Christmas.
The single most important thing we can all do is to ensure that we are vaccinated, and that means having the booster vaccine too. The evidence all shows that it is vital in increasing our protection against the omicron variant. The NHS is prioritising the booster campaign, and every day it is delivering record levels of vaccination. The figures published earlier today showed over 50,000 people were vaccinated yesterday with a booster vaccine. But we also need people to come forward to prioritise their booster appointment. Nothing will be more important to protect your health in the day than coming forward for that booster vaccine.
Llywydd, omicron has a doubling time somewhere around two days. By Boxing Day, we could therefore see many thousands of cases across Wales every day as it becomes firmly established in all parts of Wales. And that is why we must now put stronger protections in place to keep Wales safe and to ensure that as many businesses as possible can keep trading. I want to deal separately this afternoon with the measures we are taking to protect each one of us in our own homes and the measures that we will take to make public places safe. And I'm going to begin, Llywydd, with those public settings. We are introducing alert level 2 measures for retail, workplaces, hospitality and leisure businesses, so that they can reopen safely after Christmas. We've already decided that sporting fixtures will be played behind closed doors and that nightclubs must close. These, together with the other alert level 2 measures, will come into force at 6 a.m. on Boxing Day.
The alert level 2 measures have been tailored to what we know of the omicron variant. They mean, first of all, a general requirement of 2m social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces, subject to the usual reasonable measures regime. Secondly, a rule of six will apply to gatherings in regulated premises, such as hospitality, cinemas and theatres. All licensed premises will need to take additional measures to protect customers and staff, including table service and collecting contact details. Face coverings will be required in hospitality settings at all times other than when people are seated. Large events will no longer be allowed indoors or outdoors. The maximum number of people who can gather at an outdoor event will be 50 people, and, at an indoor event, the maximum number will be 30. There will be an exception for sports teams so that up to 50 spectators will be able to gather, in addition to those taking part, and there will also be, once again, an exception for events involving children. For important life events like weddings, civil partnerships, funerals and wakes, the number will be determined by the ability of the venue to manage social distancing and other reasonable measures. At a wedding breakfast or at a wake, all guests will need to have taken a lateral flow test.
Llywydd, I now turn to the ways in which we can all keep well and safe in our own homes and in our private lives. The Cabinet has decided not to make new legal rules about mixing in people's private homes and gardens. Instead, we will issue updated and strengthened guidance to help people know what they need to do to keep themselves and others safe. We are relying on that advice and guidance, because, in this next wave of coronavirus, some important circumstances have changed.

Mark Drakeford AC: We now have a population that is largely vaccinated, and the booster is being rolled out rapidly in all parts of Wales. And now, we have the protection that comes through using lateral flow tests, lateral flow tests that we have all got used to using and that are widely available. And, nearly two years since the pandemic began, every one of us has learned a great deal about how we can protect ourselves and the people who matter the most to us.
Now is the time to redouble those efforts, drawing on everything that we have learnt together. Omicron thrives on human contact. Every contact we have is an opportunity for us to spread or catch the virus. We are at our most vulnerable to infection in the home, surrounded by our family and friends. So, to stay safe in those private spaces, we are advising everyone to follow five simple measures. First of all, limit the number of people visiting your home. If people are visiting you or you are visiting other people, take that lateral flow test—flow before you go—so that you know you are safe before the visit takes place. If you can meet outdoors, it is safer than meeting indoors, and if you have to meet indoors, then please do everything you can to make sure that that space is well ventilated. Space out the visits—if you are seeing family and friends, don't meet everybody all at the same time, and, please, don’t forget the basics, the things we've all learnt to do, the social distancing, the respecting other people, washing hands and so on. While we will rely on strengthened advice and guidance in those private spheres, we will reinstate the separate offence of large gatherings—that's more than 30 people indoors or more than 50 people outdoors—and that will apply in private homes and gardens, as well as in regulated settings.
Of course, Llywydd, we want these measures to be in place for the shortest possible time, consistent with the public health emergency, and we will review them on our three-week cycle, and, at the moment, more regularly even than that.
Now, moving to alert level 2 is designed to help businesses continue to trade while also strengthening measures to protect people’s health in the face of the omicron wave. But we recognise, of course, that there will inevitably be an impact on businesses.Last week, we announced new funding of £60 million to support those businesses. Today, we are doubling that sum to £120 million of new help available, available for nightclubs, events, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses affected by the move to alert level 2. It will include help for freelancers, reflecting the success of our uniquely Welsh scheme available earlier in the pandemic. The economy Minister will announce further details about this support tomorrow. In the last few days, we have launched two separate funds to support sports events and venues and cultural and arts organisations.
Llywydd, the wider context in which we make these decisions also continues to change rapidly. The health Minister is announcing changes today to the self-isolation rules for fully vaccinated adults and children aged between five and 17 who are identified as contacts of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. They will now be asked to take a daily lateral flow test for seven days instead of self-isolating. This is what is known as the daily contact testing regime. All those who have daily negative tests will be able to continue to go to work as normal, while following all the other steps we know that help to keep themselves safe. Today, the health Minister is also taking advice from the chief medical officer about potential changes to self-isolation arrangements for those who fall ill. We anticipate as well today imminent recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation about the vaccination of young children.
Llywydd, we're now entering another very serious phase in this pandemic and we need to do everything we can to protect ourselves and keep Wales safe as Wales reopens after Christmas. The Government has reviewed all the scientific evidence and the rapidly evolving public health data and we continue to take necessary decisions to protect people's lives and livelihoods. With the support of people across Wales, we will weather this storm, and better days will once again lie beyond the omicron variant. Llywydd, diolch yn fawr iawn.

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies.

Andrew RT Davies AC: Thank you, Presiding Officer. May I thank you for this recall today to allow Members the opportunity to question the First Minister on the restrictions that the Government has announced? Can I also put on record my thanks to the First Minister for facilitating a briefing this morning for the shadow health Minister and myself with Members of the technical advisory cell team who advise Welsh Government?
First Minister, will the measures that are announced today actually avert a national lockdown in the new year, or even a firebreak in the new year? I appreciate we have a fast-moving situation, but a lot of people feel we're on an unstoppable journey to further restrictions come the new year. So, have you got confidence that the restrictions you've announced today will avert that national lockdown/firebreak that potentially could hit us in the new year?
Secondly, the process in making these decisions, as you've outlined, has moved from a three-weekly cycle to a weekly cycle, and in the last week, we've had three separate announcements. But it cannot be right, First Minister, that journalists are tweeting on a Monday evening that they're in possession of an embargoed press release that will come out at midnight with significant announcements contained within that press release, when Members of the Senedd have not had any information at all from the Government. Can you give me an assurance that you will address the Welsh Parliament and its Members through updates on a regular basis, and would you make available to Members of the Senedd a briefing from the chief medical officer, which has happened at Westminster for all Members, so that Members can be in possession of the most up-to-date information possible?
Can you confirm that the scenarios that the Government look at when modelling are the best and worst case scenarios presented to you, so there's a range of options so that you can inform your decisions, rather than just one scenario? And also, when it comes to the money and the compensation that has been allocated—and I hear from your statement that there'll be more information tomorrow from the economy Minister—will that information be full and complete information, so that businesses know how to access the money that's available to compensate them for the restrictions, so that wewill not see a repeat of the economic resilience fund, where within 24 hours, that money had run out and applications were suspended?
Is the driving force behind these restrictions the severity of the illness that will affect people, or is it the sickness rates that we are likely to see in key services and businesses? Because I do think it's important that we do understand how the evolving evidence is showing that omicron doesn't seem to have the impact that the delta virus has had in the second and third wave that we've seen of this terrible virus.
Could you also confirm today the impact on services such as train services, which we're seeing running only at 70 per cent of the timetable? In other parts of the United Kingdom, whilst they are being affected by absenteeism and sickness rates as we go into the busy Christmas period, the train operators are able to facilitate 90 per cent of the timetable. This is an important consideration for people making plans over the Christmas period to understand how this particular service is being impacted. So, if you could supply information in response to me, I'd be most grateful.
You touched in your statement about cutting isolation times, which obviously the UK Government has announced today, and I appreciate that the health Minister will make a further announcement on that. What sort of timeline are we looking at for that announcement? Because this will be a critical part in being able to bring people back to work, if, obviously, it is deemed appropriate and necessary here in Wales to adopt that guidance.
Also, the workplace fines, which you did address within your press conference, have caused some confusion, and it does seem under these regulations that you could be fined for going to work, but not fined for going to the pub. Is it necessary to have these regulations in place, which obviously create that dynamic within the workplace? Because whilst we want to keep the workplace as safe as possible, both for employee and for employer, there has to be a tolerance within the workplace to understand the different definitions of work across the whole of Wales. Could you outline where you'd expect those fines to be imposed? I note from your press conference you said not a single fine to date has been imposed, despite these regulations having been in place for some time.
When it comes to the vaccination centres, I'm getting reports from various areas—in the Cardiff and Vale area, anyway—that there's significant red tape stopping people coming forward to help out as vaccinators. I had the case of a nurse yesterday highlighting how she had to fill in six different forms to be considered to be a vaccinator when in fact she'd already done the vaccination programme in the first wave. Therefore, surely we should be encouraging those individuals to come forward and volunteer. Could you also highlight how you believe your Government is working with health boards to avoid the suspension of elective surgery, given, obviously, the impact that we're seeing of the COVID virus across Wales at the moment? In particular, some health boards have announced the cancellation of elective surgery for the foreseeable future. Are you envisaging other health boards following that lead from the north Wales health board?
My final point to you, First Minister, is that some countries are already identifying the need for a fourth booster dose because, obviously, of the length of time that the booster stays active and offers greatest protection. Is work being undertaken within the Welsh Government to activate such a programme as we move from winter into spring, for a fourth booster dose to be made available, especially to those individuals who were obviously in the first tranche of boosters back in September and October? Thank you, First Minister.

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, can I thank the leader of the Welsh Conservatives for those very constructive questions, and for his very regular participation in the briefings that we're able to offer him and other senior spokespeople? I'll do my best to rattle through quite a lengthy set of questions as fast as I can.
The measures we have put in place are designed to flatten the curve and to protect lives and the NHS. We are quite definitely not on an unstoppable journey to lockdown. I have been told time after time that there are people out there saying that they know that the Welsh Government is about to announce a lockdown on 18 December, on 22 December, and none of that has been true. If we act together and do all the things that we are able to do in our own lives, we have a chance to make a difference. There are lots of things we still don't know about omicron and how it will hit us, and I can't rule things out. I'm in the same position exactly as UK Ministers in this way. We're all learning and we can't rule things out. But, the measures that we have announced, which will be in place from 6 a.m. on Boxing Day, are designed to mitigate the risk that more serious interventions are needed.
I can't be responsible for the way that journalists breach embargos or report things. A written statement should have been issued on that day. I apologise for the fact that that didn't happen. It is simply because of the speed with which everything is having to be done, and the inevitably limited number of shoulders on which all that falls.
Next week will see the end of the current three-week cycle. We always publish the chief medical officer's advice, and we will do that again, alongside the TAC report and everything else that goes into our decision making. The scenarios that the Welsh Government get are not best and worst. They are the reasonable worst case—so, that is not the worst; that is a worst case that is still within the bounds of what could reasonably happen—and then we get a most likely scenario. So, that's not the best, but it is the most likely. Those are the two scenarios that we routinely receive.
The economy Minister will give as much detail as possible tomorrow on the support for businesses. Again, it is having to be put in place very rapidly. I'm really grateful to our colleagues in local government for the help that they will provide. And we continue to be in conversations directly with businesses to make sure that that money is used in the way that is most helpful to them. We've all learnt things from previous schemes. I want the money to be used in the most effective way possible, but if you're spending £120 million of public money, you've got a responsibility to make sure that it's cost effective as well. While we will give as much detail as we can tomorrow, there will be some things we might still be in discussions with the sector on, to make sure the money is used in the best possible way.

Mark Drakeford AC: Can I say that I think the debate about the severity of omicron does miss the point, to an extent? The sheer numbers of people who will fall ill with the omicron variant means that even if it were to be less severe, that will not stop the huge increase in demand that there may be there from people falling ill. One of the deputy chief medical officers for England explained it at a COBRA meeting in this way: that if omicron was only half as severe as delta, that buys you 48 hours in terms of the impact that omicron will have on our public services. So, it's a sort of secondary issue, rather than the top-line issue, which is the transmissibility of omicron, and I don't think that the evidence as it's being reported in some newspapers today is quite as straightforward as they are making out. The evidence that I have seen—. I add the normal caveat here, which I know the leader of the opposition will understand, that new evidence is emerging every day. The evidence I have seen so far is that if you've had coronavirus already, then omicron may have a less severe impact on you if you are reinfected, but if you're getting coronavirus for the first time and your first dose of it is omicron, it's likely to be just as severe as any other earlier form of the virus.
As to train services, Transport for Wales is running as many trains as it possibly can with the number of staff available to it, and the position across other parts of the United Kingdom is affected just as we are affected here in Wales. In a way, that takes me to one of Andrew Davies's later questions. Of course, we are as concerned about omicron knocking out large numbers of people who need to be in the workplace, in private businesses and in public services, alongside those people who fall so seriously ill that only a hospital bed will be sufficient for them. Both of those things are really important.
We have moved today to the new regime for people who are contacts of people who have coronavirus. The health Minister has advice in front of her today on a potentially different regime for people who are suffering directly from the virus, but she will want to look at the advice from our own chief medical officer and others, and I know she'll come to her decision as soon as she is able to. I do know that that advice has already gone to her, and it'll be part of what she will be doing today.
Can I thank the leader of the opposition for an early opportunity to lay to rest some of the stories that have circulated about the workplace? Because this is really a story without a substance. As the leader of the opposition said, we are reinstating rules that we had earlier in the pandemic. These are not new rules in that sense. They are rules we have used before. They are there to create a level playing field where employers and employees both know the rights and the responsibilities that they have. They are designed to protect workers, not to penalise them. When we had those rules in place earlier in the pandemic, there is no record that we have been able to find of anybody being fined. They are thereto make sure that everybody understands the regulations. And when I was at the shadow social partnership council earlier today, employers welcomed the regulations because the regulations themselves are helpful, even if the reporting of them has not been. And I'm very grateful to the Confederation of British Industry and other employer organisations and to trade unions and the Trades Union Congress for all the help they are giving us in making sure that workplaces and workers understand what the rules really are and what they are there to do.
I'm afraid that the impact of people falling out of the workplace and of the pressures on the NHS mean that elective surgery is having to be suspended in some parts of Wales. There is a local decision-making framework that allows health boards to calibrate that in their own circumstances and they are able to begin elective surgery again when the circumstances allow them to do so.
I'm sorry to hear that peoplefeel that the process of becoming a vaccinator is frustrating. We are reducing it to the bear minimum that we think is safe. If somebody is giving somebody else a vaccine, we do need to know that they are properly trained to do it.The rules that are there for booster vaccines and for vaccinating children, for example, are different to the ones that would have been there in the first wave of vaccination. And we do need to make sure that people have the training that they need to be able to vaccinate safely. I am hugely grateful to those hundreds of people who have come forward. We don't have a problem of supply of vaccinators and vaccines in Wales at the moment—we're able to vaccinate everybody who comes forward. Where we do still have an issue is with people coming forward. There was an 18 per cent did-not-attend rate in some vaccination centres in Wales yesterday. That's nearly one in every five people not coming forward when they're invited. And if we could persuade those people to make their appointment their top priority, that would really help us to get that protection out there to as many people as possible.
Finally, Llywydd, I think it's only Israel that has moved to a comprehensive fourth booster vaccination programme and that only today. But Israel has been ahead of other countries all they way through the vaccination process. We are indeed looking at the evidence of how long the current booster offers you the maximum protection. And if it does turn out that it is a waning protection and we need to do more later into next year, then, of course, alongside other parts of the United Kingdom, we will look to put such a programme in place. Thank you very much.

Leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.

Adam Price AC: Thank you, First Minister, for the statement and also for the ability for myself and our health spokesperson, Rhun ap Iorwerth, to be briefed by members of the technical advisory cell. Could I just say in general terms, my party believes that introducing precautionary protections in a proportionate way is absolutely the right thing to do given the considerable uncertainty that we're still facing in terms of the potential impact of the omicron variant and the potential for theimpact under certain scenarios to be considerable.
Could I ask, in terms of the modelling that you referred to done by Swansea University, some of which we will have seen in the briefing, when can you publish that? I think it's important in terms of the communication of the context in which you're making these decisions that the public can see for themselves the various scenarios that have been the backdrop to your decision making. Could you say a little bit more about that modelling that was done, as you said, on different scenarios in terms of severity, but also, particularly given the uncertainty around the severity of the disease, even under the low-severity scenarios, as you were intimating in your earlier response that there was still a significant rise in hospitalisations because of the very, very high number of cases and, indeed, in the modelling that I saw—a higher peak than we’ve seen previously—in terms of cases and even in hospitalisations?
Now, in terms of the latest information about this question of severity, there’s some positive news that has emerged, I think, in the last couple of hours, out of South Africa, about a potential 80 per cent milder impact of the variant in terms of hospitalisation and, indeed, fewer that actually go to hospital developing severe disease. In terms of the UK Health Security Agency report—which I think the summary of has been leaked—have you actually seen any of that information yet, First Minister? And how do you regard some of the information that is being put in the public domain? It’s important to recognise there are caveats, even within the UKHSA report, pointing out, as you say, that there will still be a high number of cases if the transmission is very high and, indeed, also some people will still become ill and require hospitalisation.
In terms of the situation with NHS staff, have you modelled that impact, potentially? And how important has that been in reaching your decision in terms of this modified level 2 that you’re introducing? And if you had a positive response from the Treasury, in terms of the request for furlough support, would you, First Minister, be opting for a different policy choice and looking at a higher level of protection than you think you’re able to do in balancing the various public health benefits versus the wider social and economic and human costs associated with those protections?
A few specific questions. I heard you reiterating what you said in the press conference, in terms of the regulation 18B—the fine on employees not working from home when they’re able to do so. I’ve yet been able to discover the exact, specific fine being introduced earlier. Perhaps if you’re unable to do so now, perhaps you could tell us when that specific duty was created previously, rather than the general duty to stay at home, unless you had a reasonable excuse. And, in terms of the communication, it would be interesting to hear what the TUC said at the social partnership meeting. They were tweeting only a few hours ago that,
'Fining workers compelled into work by their bosses is bad policy'
and still this morning urging you to rethink. So, have you had a later conversation with the Wales TUC, and has their position, in relation to that, changed?
Could you say something in terms of smaller gyms, to give them the assurance, even though they are smaller scale, that they are able to avail themselves of flexibility within the regulations—if 2m is not possible, that they’re able to put in place other mitigating impacts?
In terms of the new rules, potentially, in terms of close contacts and using the lateral flow tests, could you just clarify: are we talking about household contacts or close contacts or both in that case?
And, in relation to health workers, because of the greater transmissibility of the omicron variant, can you give us an update on progress towards providing higher grade FFP3 masks to healthcare workers? And as many healthcare workers will have had their third booster earlier, will they be prioritised in terms of any future fourth booster wave?
And where are we in terms of the discussion about global vaccination? We realise, through, obviously, the omicron experience, how important that is. The Senedd has passed an important motion, laid down by Heledd Fychan, my colleague, reminding us that, unless we’re vaccinated everywhere, then we are unprotected everywhere, and that’s certainly been borne home by the events of the last few days.

Mark Drakeford AC: I'd like to thank Adam Price for those questions.

Mark Drakeford AC: I thank him both for his very regular participation in the briefing sessions we're able to provide, alongside Rhun ap Iorwerth, but also for his indication at the start of what he said about general support for the need for precautionary and proportionate actions to be taken to protect people in Wales. We will publish the modelling; we publish the TAC advice we get regularly, often alongside the three-week cycle. I know that Mr Price will know that, in the rapidly evolving state of understanding, the model is constantly being updated. So, it had a certain assumption about the rate at which we would be able to roll out boosters in Wales—we're obviously exceeding that by a significant amount, and the model will need to be recalibrated to take account of that. It makes assumptions about people's behaviour, and I think we've seen, in the last couple of weeks, that, actually, people's behaviour is more sensitive to the risks of omicron than maybe we would have thought. The South African data in relation to severity is of course, useful, but 70 per cent of the population of South Africa have recently been infected in a huge delta wave that's spread through South Africa. So, I think that would be consistent with the advice that I saw earlier, that if you've already been infected with coronavirus and you then get omicron, it will be less severe. But that doesn't necessarily mean that if you haven't had a previous dose that the impact would be less severe.

Mark Drakeford AC: The model is also having to be calibrated against changing evidence in relation, for example, to a length of stay. So, it may be that people who become ill with omicron recover more quickly and therefore are in hospital for less time, and that would have an impact on the scenarios that the model sets out. So, we will publish the model, but it is even more provisional at the moment than it would have been at other parts of the coronavirus experiencing.
NHS staff modelling has been important to us, of course. Sickness in the NHS is higher this week than it was last week, as more people are falling ill from both delta and the onset of omicron that we now see in Wales. But this is not just NHS staff, as I know the leader of Plaid Cymru will know; it's staff in the care home sector. Part of the pressure in our health service is because it is more difficult this winter to discharge people to their own homes or to care homes because we don't have the staff there to be able to look after people. But it's not even just in health and social care, it's the ability of local authorities to run refuse collection services, for example. You know, all those vital things that come under pressure if we have more people unable to be in the workplace.
On furlough, the calls that we have made, alongside the First Minister of Scotland and the First and Deputy First Ministers in Northern Ireland, have not yet been answered by the UK Government. It's not so much that we would make different decisions about what we will do immediately, because we're able to cover those from our own resources, just about; it's just that if we need to go further, the playing field is not level. If English Ministers decide they need to go further, they will have the support of the Treasury to do so. If any devolved Government decides to do so, we don't have that guarantee. That is simply unfair. Every one of us ought to be able to make decisions on public health grounds alone in the same way as English Ministers are able to make for England, and we're yet to get to a position where we have that properly, as I would see it, sorted out.
If I understood the question correctly, Llywydd, the working from home rules that we are replicating now are the ones we had right at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and the TUC was indeed at the shadow social partnership council this morning, and we will continue our dialogue with them.
For smaller gyms, the other reasonable measures that they are able to take does allow them to see whether they can open on a less than 2m social distancing basis. They would still have to have a 2m distance wherever they could, and they would have to be confident that the mitigating measures are sufficient to allow them to operate safely. But we will elevate in the advice that we will provide to the sector the fact that those mitigating measures are available to them, and I hope that that will be helpful to them in weighing up their ability to continue to provide a service. The contacts of people in a close-contact regime will be the contacts who would have been contacted by the TTP service, so that's how, I think, we define those.
In relation to higher grade masks, look, this has been a matter of considerable contention during the whole of the pandemic. It is why an expert group has been set up. It is clinically led. That group looked at all the evidence, particularly the aerosol evidence in relation to omicron, only just over a week ago. They came to the conclusion that there was no change in their advice, but they too have elevated, in the advice they have provided, the flexibility that is there in health settings to use FFP3 masks where there are particular vulnerabilities that need to be taken into account. And we have made sure that we have relayed that elevated advice to the Welsh health service.
Every time we have had a new iteration of the vaccination programme, we have followed the prioritisation advice of the JCVI. So, if there is to be a fourth booster programme, we will get the JCVI advice. It generally follows the pattern that Adam Price pointed to: it looks to see those people who had the last vaccination earliest and for whom the protection may therefore have waned the fastest, and you go back to those people first. But, if the advice was to be different to that, we would rely on that expert advice.
And finally, Llywydd, I simply echo what the leader of Plaid Cymru said, and colleagues who have been following the advice that the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been making on behalf of the World Health Organization in this area, and he provided a further update on that only yesterday, I believe: nobody is safe until everybody is safe from this awful disease. And to quote Gordon Brown, the rich west is running the risk of playing Russian roulette with the future health of their populations by not doing everything that they could to provide vaccination right around the globe. Until we do, then the risk is that somewhere, in an at-risk population without the benefit of vaccination, another new variant is brewing today, and next time we may not be so lucky that it might be less severe or its vaccine escape might be limited. So, the case for that great global effort is not one of simple generosity, it is of enlightened self interest. We do this to protect ourselves as well as to protect those other populations. Alongside others in the United Kingdom, not just in the political world, but far beyond it, we urge the UK Government to go on providing a lead. And I want to say that they have provided a lead, some important leadership in this sphere, but we think there's more that could be done, and we'd urge them to do all of that to protect us as well as others.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.

We still have a large number of Members who wish to speak, so can I ask everyone who's now contributing to keep to their time limits, please, so we can get through as many as possible? Hefin David.

Hefin David AC: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. It's worth noting that the fixed-penalty notices were first voted on in early 2020 in the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020, section 21, and there's no party in this Chamber that didn't support them at the time, so it is a significant issue there. However, at the time, they applied to everyone, because everyone was at a stay-at-home duty in law, whereas now they only apply to employers and employees in these circumstances, so there's a slight change there. So, I'd like to ask the First Minister—. I've had much correspondence from people who are worried about inadvertently breaking the law and being criminalised. What would he say to someone who has written to me with those concerns, that they don't quite understand the 'reasonable excuse' measure? How can they understand that and take the appropriate measures for working from home?
And finally, two practical questions: are driving tests able to continue and driving lessons able to continue, and close-contact services continue as normal? And are opening hours for licensed premises continuing as normal? Thank you.

Mark Drakeford AC: I thank Hefin David for those questions, Dirprwy Lywydd. Opening hours are unchanged; close-contact services will reopen after Christmas and will have to operate now within the new regime. Driving tests are not under the control of the Welsh Government, because they are set by a UK agency. Driving lessons can continue in Wales, but there have to be proper mitigations, because it is inevitable that you are sitting in close proximity to somebody else.
I thank the Member for what he pointed out about the fact that the regime that has caused some concern is not a new regime and was endorsed by the Senedd at the start of the pandemic. People who have become alarmed by what I regard as not very helpful reporting of all of this can rely on the fact that any penalties could only possibly fall on somebody who perversely insists on being in a workplace when it is completely clear that they could successfully work from home. Every message that we have had from the Wales TUC through the whole of the pandemic has been that the protections for workers have not always been sufficient, where people feel they are being called back into the workplace where the reasonable measures regime has not been properly put in place. These regulations give those workers an extra protection; they are able to say to the employer, 'I cannot come to work on those terms, because, if I were to do so, I would be committing an offence, and you cannot put me in that position.' Now, if people need advice in their own individual circumstances, then my advice to them always would be to make sure they're a member of a trade union and they can get the advice that that trade union will provide. And as well as the TUC being at the social partnership council this morning, the big unions that represent the bulk of employees who might be affected were all there as well.
And as I said in my opening statement, Dirprwy Lywydd, I'm really grateful for the indication from employers and the trade union movement that they would all be sending out advice to their members this afternoon to make it clear that they regard the regulations as helpful, provided they are properly understood and used in the way that they are intended.

Russell George AC: First Minister, can I ask how many people are in hospital with the new variant now, at the present time? And there's a real concern that some health boards—Betsi in particular—are cancelling planned operations to ensure the booster programme is being completed. Now, last month, we saw that 40,000 people were waiting over a year for treatment, and 9,000 over two years, each likely, or potentially, waiting for treatment in pain, unfortunately. So, are you confident that the booster programme is being rolled out sufficiently to community pharmacists and GPs and that is having a welcome input on planned NHS services? And what can be done to take pressure off the NHS and what assurances can you give to patients across Wales that their operations won't be significantly postponed?

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, apologies for the fact that I'm scanning the information that I have in front of me, and I can't put my eyes on the figure of people in hospital in Wales at the moment, but that figure is available. It is a modest number at the moment, but I know that Russell George will have seen the figures from London and from Manchester of the very rapid rises there have been there in the last week of hospitalisations from omicron cases, hospitalisations that began concentrated amongst people in their 20s and 30s, but have since moved up the age ranges as well. So, because we are behind the curve—we are lucky enough to have that small advantage in Wales—the numbers in Wales at the moment are small. But I'm afraid that we have to look at the pattern elsewhere and prepare ourselves for that. Can I say that there are inevitably trade-offs in what we're able to do? If we want the vaccination programme to be run at the speed that it is—[Inaudible.]

It looks like the First Minister's frozen again. We'll give it a couple of minutes to see if we can get him back. And whilst we wait for the First Minister, can I inform Members that the Llywydd is also having difficulties—

Mark Drakeford AC: —offered—

First Minister, we lost you for a second. You were frozen. About 30 seconds.

Mark Drakeford AC: Okay. I think I'll—. I hope I was explaining that there are some inevitable trade-offs when you have a fixed workforce and you ask them to take on another major programme, like a vaccination programme that's going to offer a booster to everybody eligible in Wales before the end of this calendar year. The good news is that you have concentrated that effort into a very short period, and then those people will be released back to do all the other things we want them to do. I should make it clear that BCU is not the only health board that is having to take those decisions, but, hopefully, provided people come forward as we would like them to, the period over which people are diverted to the booster campaign will be kept to a minimum.

And as I was saying whilst we were waiting, the Llywydd's broadband has gone down, and whilst we are trying to see if we can get Aberaeron back online, I'll continue. Luke Fletcher.

Luke Fletcher AS: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Touching on the workers' fines for the moment, if you look at the memorandum of understanding for these regulations and the statement published by the Government on the seventeenth and today it's clear that the Government believes that the relationship between worker and employer is balanced. Thinking that responsibility is shared between employer and worker, with all due respect, First Minister, is naive, and anyone working in a minimum wage job can tell you where the power truly lies, and we do have sectors where trade unions are not as powerful as we would want them to be. I recognise that the wording of regulation 18B has been used in the past, but this was of course under a different context, and, as Adam Price and Hefin David have already alluded to, those regulations under 18B are now set out separately from any general duty that may have been set out in the past. I also of course recognise what the First Minister said in his press conference today that no fines have been issued to date, but I do hope the Government drops the fines on workers. It's the principle here, more than anything else, that doesn't sit well with me, and the onus should fall on employers.
But if I could also ask about business support very briefly, I was grateful for the briefing provided by the economy Minister this morning. I appreciate that the economy Minister will be providing further details tomorrow, but could the First Minister at least provide some information today on when businesses can expect support? There's a lot of anxiety amongst businesses right now who need the assurance that support will arrive in time, many of whom are, no doubt, contacting Members as we speak.

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, in relation to the timeliness of business support, our aim is to use some of the mechanisms we used earlier in the pandemic. So, these will be payments that will go direct to businesses without the need for a complex application process, although there will be a separate sum of money where application can be made for people whose circumstances are beyond what the reliance on local authorities' ability to simply send grant aid out would cover. So, the economy Minister will set out those timings tomorrow, and I hope that that will give some confidence to businesses that, as rapidly as we are able to, the money will leave us and be with them.
I heard what the Member said in relation to the working from home regulations, but I don't think I heard anything I hadn't heard earlier, Llywydd, and, in the interests of speed and other Members, I've got nothing further to add on that matter.

Mike Hedges AC: The normal way to compare action and inaction is to have a control sample. Brazil and the southern states of the United States of America have given us such a control sample, but with catastrophic death rates in those countries. I'd like to raise two points: first, that action is taken against supermarkets and bus companies that are not enforcing mask wearing; and secondly, that the benefit of vaccines and boosters in reducing infection, transmission rates and death rates is explained to the public.

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, Mike Hedges makes a very important point that sadly, very sadly, there are some Governments around the world who have simply wilfully refused to take those actions that would protect their populations, and the results are there for anybody to see. The new regime beyond Christmas will put new obligations on employers—not front-line workers, but the managers of premises—to make sure that they are running them in line with the new risks that are there from coronavirus. We continue to be in discussions with all of those sectors to reinforce the responsibilities, the legal responsibilities, that they will now have in Wales.
It's a very important point, the final point Mike Hedges made, about trying to get over to people the significance of having a booster. If you are doubly vaccinated with the AZ vaccine, as many people in the Senedd will have been, sadly it offers you a very, very low level of protection against the omicron variant. If you get a booster, the Pfizer or Moderna booster, that protection rebounds to up to 75 per cent. So, no vaccine is ever a complete guarantee, but with a booster, you have increased your protection against the omicron variant absolutely substantially. As I say, there is nothing more important that you will do that day than to go and get your booster, because it will help you, and collectively it helps to keep the whole of Wales safe.

Tom Giffard AS: First Minister, the Welsh Government decided on Monday night to ban spectators from sporting venues in Wales, and in tandem announced a £3 million fund to cover lost revenue for sports clubs and venues who are set to lose out as a result. But as yet there's been very little detail on how this can be applied for or exactly how it will be apportioned, and even so, I'm afraid to say that the £3 million, at least on the surface, looks like barely a drop in the ocean compared to the revenues lost by that decision. So, for example, Swansea City and Cardiff City home matches bring in about £200,000 each in matchday income alone, so if the fund were to cover those losses, for example, you would see about one fifteenth of the entire budget gone in one day on one match, which means either these large events won't be covered in full or there'll be nothing left for smaller clubs and venues and other sports. We also don't know how long a period of time this fund will have to cover, as obviously we don't know yet when these restrictions will come to an end. So, can I ask the First Minister to outline exactly how this scheme will work for sports clubs and venues, and which organisations are likely to be financially impacted by the limitations of the scheme?

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, this is a scheme designed for major events. We took the precaution of having collected information from the clubs involved in advance of making a decision as to what they thought the loss of income would be if they had to play behind closed doors, and I can assure the Member that £3 million is not a drop in anybody's ocean, and we are confident it is sufficient to be able to compensate those clubs for the way in which they will now be able to operate. Not indefinitely, of course. None of us know how long this will need to go on and we will keep that sum of money very regularly under review, and if the restrictions have to go beyond the point at which the £3 million will be sufficient, then the conversations between the finance Minister and the Minister responsible for that sector will recommence.

Mabon ap Gwynfor AS: Thank you for your statement, First Minister. I wanted to draw attention to weddings and funerals, so I'm grateful for the comments that you've made, but the comments you have made do suggest that the pressure will be on the organisers to interpret what is safe and what is adequate at a time that can be very stressful for those organising weddings or difficult for those who are organising funerals. So, can we have some more clarity on those issues, please? Scotland, of course, have announced that there won't be restrictions on the numbers in weddings and funerals there, so I wonder whether you'd be able to provide clarity similar to that provided in Scotland.
Also, last week you said, First Minister, that doctors should move patients to the mornings in order to release the afternoons for vaccination. Now, in doing this, patients will expect to have an appointment in the mornings, but those morning appointments are already full. Can we have some clarity on arrangements for GPs, therefore, in order to manage the expectations of patients?
And, finally, these regulations that you've introduced are reliant, to a certain extent, or to a great extent, on lateral flow tests, but I'm hearing in Dwyfor Meirionnydd—
No recording is available of the remainder of this contribution in the original language.—that it's difficult to get hold of lateral flow tests in Porthmadog and Dolgellau, for example, and other areas are also running out of these tests. So, what steps are you taking to ensure that there is a sufficient number of LFTs available for people at this time? Thank you very much.

Mark Drakeford AC: No recording is available of this contribution in the original language.Well, thank you very much to Mabon ap Gwynfor for those questions. We've had the regime for weddings for some time now. Initially in the pandemic we placed a cap on numbers—no more than 10 or whatever that figure was—attending a wedding or attending a funeral, but we—[Inaudible.]

Plenary was suspended at 14:36.

The Senedd reconvened at 14:45, with the Dirprwy Lywyddin the Chair.

Over to you, First Minister.

Mark Drakeford AC: In terms of GPs, we do use GP services to vaccinate those people who are housebound, and also to provide vaccinations to people in residential homes. Now, if you're working alone in vaccinating people, then it's important that you have a sufficient level of training to do that without the support of others, as would be available in vaccination centres.
In terms of the lateral flow tests, we are fortunate here in Wales that we do have a sufficient number of tests available. I know that the distribution system has been under pressure, but the UK Government has agreed with Royal Mail that they will double the number of test kits that can be distributed, and we are going to take advantage of those arrangements here in Wales too. And we'll do everything we can to get those tests out to people because we are going to be reliant on those tests for many things in the future.

John Griffiths AC: First Minister, parkruns in Wales are very important for public health, allowing people to have valuable exercise and associated benefits. During COVID, they've developed a framework globally that is very effective in ensuring safety and enabling the virus to be combated. They're very willing to work with Welsh Government and officials, First Minister, to try and find a way through to continue parkruns into the new year and beyond, and I wonder if you could commit today to enabling those discussions and talks to take place. I'm sure that they have been, to some extent, but I know that they're very keen to input detail.
And I would just like to ask in terms of the vaccination programme, First Minister, as you said, I'm hearing from those providing the vaccinations that there is quite a high level of people not attending, and they are frustrated, some of the people delivering the vaccine, that they haven't got as much flexibility as they would like to use the spare vaccines that would otherwise be wasted to vaccinate people who are not coming forth for vaccination under the current priorities at this stage. So, I wonder whether guidance might be issued to enable greater flexibility in that event.
And finally, independent—

John, you've had time, and we've got to keep moving on. We've got a lot of people who want to ask questions.

John Griffiths AC: Okay, diolch.

Mark Drakeford AC: Thank you to John Griffiths for those questions.

Mark Drakeford AC: As far as parkruns are concerned, they can continue. There will be a limit of 50 people being able to take part directly in the run—that doesn't include people who are involved in stewarding or volunteering around it. And where it's junior parkruns for people under 18, there will be unlimited numbers available. I think I'm aware, already, of some parkruns that, because of the numbers, run a certain number at one point in the day and another set of people later. So, there will be a need for some flexibility, and I'm sure that we're talking to the sector. But under the rules that we've announced today, parkruns can continue. They have to continue within the rules, but the rules are not prohibitive.
I share the frustration of those people who have cancelled their Christmas leave, who are doing all of this in relation to vaccination on top of everything else we've asked of them for the last 21 months, when people don't turn up for their appointment and haven't had the simple courtesy to have let people know that that is going to be the case. Actually, I think there is lots of flexibility in the system and lots of settings have reserve lists that they call in or other ways of using vaccines that otherwise would got to waste. But the very best way of preventing vaccines from going to waste is for people to turn up to their appointments and then the problem would be diminished. I will make sure that we, once again, draw the attention of people to the flexibility that is already there for people to try to make up for the numbers if people aren't attending, when, in my view, they should be.

Laura Anne Jones AC: It seems a shame to have to use some of my contribution to reiterate this, but I feel like it needs saying, and I'd like to start by thanking Andrew R.T. Davies for making sure the Senedd is respected when presenting new restrictions by suggesting the parliamentary recall today, and I thank the Llywydd for allowing that return. I find it concerning that those in Labour, who are advocates for more powers for the Senedd, don't even show it the respect in its current form. The parliamentary process is an important one and should be adhered to. Banning things at midnight via press releases only adds further confusion and anxiety for our businesses and sporting organisations across the country. First Minister, do you think this is an appropriate way to run a Government? We appreciate your apology just now, and rightly so, but this isn't the first time it's happened. So, may I just reiterate calls from Andrew R.T. Davies for regular updates?
Deputy Presiding Officer, we've seen businesses and sporting organisations struggling to stay afloat. These restrictions could be the death knell for many local favourites, so it's imperative we see the data driving these decisions, so you can take the public with you, especially as you're issuing just guidelines, as you say, First Minister. Are we going to have to impose such precautionary restrictions every time a new variant presents itself? Perhaps we need to start thinking a bit differently to do more to prepare for such eventualities? These restrictions will have a devastating impact on many, and that's the reality. If we want to free up workers, why haven't we already cut isolation time from 10 days to seven days, as England are, as medically proven? And it would release domiciliary care, social workers, teachers, NHS staff, the ones we are so concerned about. Deputy Presiding Officer, generally, for where we are now in Wales, these measures don't seem in kilter with the data. We have now restrictions that punish outdoor—

Your time is up now, because you've asked a couple of questions. We need to move on, because I've got still a large number of your party who want to speak.

Laura Anne Jones AC: Can I just reiterate calls that we don't put a cap on the number of people going for parkruns, then, please, Deputy Presiding Officer, because that doesn't seem to be in kilter? Thank you.

Mark Drakeford AC: Well, I frankly reject most of what the Member has just said. How she thinks that she is in a better position to understand what the data is telling us than the chief medical officer and the chief scientist is completely baffling to me. Nor will I artificially change the rules for one sector when the rules are there to protect us all. There was one thing the Member said that I agreed with, and that is that this will become an endemic rather than a pandemic disease, and we will all have to learn to find ways to live with it.
As to her first point, I'm naive enough to continue to be surprised by the brass neck of Conservative Members of the Senedd, Llywydd. I explained and apologised for the fact that a written statement wasn't issued earlier in the week. This Senedd has met continuously, through recess after recess, in order for Ministers to come and answer questions, and to make statements and to take part in debates with the Senedd. In Westminster, where her party's in charge, none of that happens. We're hardly in a position to need lectures on what is right and proper from a party that evades the sort of scrutiny that this Senedd has continuously managed to provide.

Heledd Fychan AS: I'd like to echo the comments of John Griffiths on parkruns. There's been mention on Twitter already of going over the border to England to attend these runs if there are restrictions here. So, could we look at a particular exemption, because we know of the advantages of keeping fit, in terms of fighting the virus and mental health too? Also, in terms of ice rinks, particularly permanent ice rinks, such as Ice Arena Wales, which had to remain closed last time we were at level 2, in terms of restrictions, can we have some clarity on that, please? Also, does the fact that some of these measures are coming into force, such as those around playing fields, mean that the COVID passes haven't been effective? Is there an intention to review that, given that there is no system in place to ensure that it's easy for people who can't get a vaccination or take a lateral flow test to get a pass, such as those with autism? Thank you.

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, it is not the COVID passes that have changed; it is the context within which they are being used. COVID passes have been a very successful part of our protections against the delta variant. We're now facing a different form of coronavirus—one that moves much more quickly—and we have to assess the use of COVID passes in that new context. Ice rinks will not be closed during the regime that I've outlined this afternoon, and parkruns can go ahead. I'm beginning to feel more baffled now by the focus that's being placed on them. Fifty people can take part in a parkrun and that doesn't include the people who are there to help to make it happen. If there are more than 50 people wanting to take part, then the answer is pretty simple: you just have another time where those other people can do that very useful and important thing. So, the idea that parkruns cannot take place is plainly not the case.

Jenny Rathbone AC: I just wanted to pick up on what you said earlier about the scale of the infection rate and the strain it's going to be putting on public services just because of sickness absences. I've managed to get around all the care homes in Cardiff Central just to thank them for the fantastic dedication they have to looking after our vulnerable citizens and also to highlight the role they're playing in ensuring that those who no longer need to be in hospital have somewhere safe to convalesce and recover and be looked after by caring people. And I've also had conversations with front-line health workers who happen to live in my constituency, and the level of dedication that they continue to display despite working innumerable hours trying to cope with the increased demand for health services, but still wanting to somehow get involved in the latest vaccination booster programme to play their part—. So, in that context, how do we get the public to understand that the UK Government is continuing to block the efforts of the World Health Organization to waive the copyrights on all these vaccines that have proved so successful in protecting our lives in the rich countries, so that, in the words of Gordon Brown, no-one is protected unless everyone is protected? As we live in a global village, unless we do this—unless we make 2022 the year of global vaccination—we are simply going to move from one crisis to another. How long can we go on expecting our front-line health and social care workers to go on going the extra mile? We simply can't, and therefore we have to do what is necessary to resolve this pandemic by getting everybody vaccinated before some new variant comes along that, simply, the vaccination programme won't cover us for.

Mark Drakeford AC: Dirprwy Lywydd, can I begin by echoing everything that Jenny Rathbone said about the dedication of the people who work in the care sector and in the NHS? Most of us in this call today will be at home on Christmas Day with members of our family or with friends and they'll be in work. And they'll be going on providing the care that we rely on them to provide. So, I completely associate myself with what she said. The impact of the pandemic on those workers is not simply a physical impact—it's not just the hours and hours and hours that they are in work; it has been the emotional toll that it has taken on those workers too. I recently had a conversation with a young woman GP who lives in my own constituency and she told me in the most matter of fact way of the video that she had made for her young children in case she herself became infected with coronavirus and died—that, every day, she was putting herself in harm's way in order to look after other people. It's hard to imagine, really, isn't it, the emotional toll that takes on people who feel that they were doing that—doing it willingly, doing it because that was the job they'd chosen to undertake in life and to do it on our behalf. It must be desperately frustrating for people who do that—to believe that not every action that could be taken is being taken to control the emergence of new variants across the world. The material that Gordon Brown published—part of his work for the WHO this week—demonstrates that this job can be done; it’s just the political will that is required to be summoned up in order to do it.

The Llywydd took the Chair.

I'm back in the Senedd now. For those of you who didn't miss me, I had a broadband outage in Aberaeron, but it seems to have sorted itself out now.
We are slightly out of time already, but I think we can run for a few extra minutes. If we can have short questions and succinct answers, then I’ll try and call as many as possible. Paul Davies.

Paul Davies AC: [Inaudible.]—naturally, these messages have had a dramatic impact on our businesses here in Wales, from shops to the hospitality sector. Now, clearly, further restrictions will be placed on businesses from next Sunday onwards, but can you tell us whether the Welsh Government has held an economic impact assessment in relation to these new restrictions? And, if so, will you publish that information so that we can understand the impact on jobs and the economy here in Wales in the next weeks and months, because I would imagine that you as a Government would have done this, so that you could prepare and plan the financial support businesses will require over the coming months?

Mark Drakeford AC: Well, Llywydd, I recognise the impact that restrictions are having on businesses, but shops will reopen here in Wales after Christmas, hospitality will be able to reopen, and some offices will reopen too. Of course, we've been in contact with the sectors to prepare for the impact that the restrictions will have. That's what's brought us to the figures that we've announced today, and that's what will underpin the details that the Minister will announce tomorrow. Throughout the pandemic, we have published the information that we have and the analysis we've carried of that information, and I'm sure that will continue, just as the UK Government uses the information that they have and just as the Chancellor did when he made his announcements this week.

Siân Gwenllian AC: I understand that the Football Association of Wales have announced that league of Wales games—adran and ardal games—will be postponed for the time being as 50 supporters isn't going to be sufficient to make those games financially sustainable. Now, this will create huge frustrations for both players and supporters alike, but will also create cash flow problems for clubs. So, can you explain what financial support will be available for those clubs affected—the larger clubs, yes, but also the smaller clubs, such as those in the Arfon constituency?

Mark Drakeford AC: Well, Llywydd, we are all frustrated at the latest twist and turn of coronavirus. None of us wanted to be in this position, and it’s only a very short number of weeks ago where, dealing only with delta, we had a reasonably straightforward path for Wales into Christmas and the new year. Unfortunately, omicron is a reality, and it has an impact on many aspects of Welsh life, including the frustrations that I’m sure are absolutely felt amongst the smaller football clubs. I may have got this wrong, Llywydd, but I think what I remember is that the football association has brought forward a gap that was already going to be there, rather than a completely new gap in the programme, but I may have misunderstood that. Our officials continue to be in dialogue with those representative organisations. We can't cover every single eventuality of every single group that is affected by coronavirus, but where we are able to assist, I think we have demonstrated, in the very significant sums of money that we have published already this week, and again today, that we are prepared to use the resources we have to support those sectors that are directly affected by the decisions we are having to take to help to keep people in Wales safe.

Huw Irranca-Davies AC: First Minister, on the back of the announcements of the new measures, some of which we're familiar with from before, but it is a different package, I, like many Members of the Senedd, am having hundreds of enquiries of different types, a very diverse nature, affecting businesses and organisations. I just wonder, on the basis that we are heading now into the Christmas period, in addition to the alert level 2 advice that has been published and has been updated already, which we are sharing with constituents, will there be publication of frequently asked questions within the next couple of days? And has he had any discussions with the Welsh Local Government Association over their ability to respond through, for example, shared regulatory services or local grant funding officials to any enquiries they have over the Christmas period? The worry is having an advice deficit as we head into this crucial period.

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, we will be publishing more advice and information, including some frequently asked questions. I know the Member will understand this is Christmas week. There are people who've made other plans in their lives, and they're often people who have worked incredibly hard and with very little time to themselves for weeks and weeks and weeks. So, the number of hands on deck is more limited than it would be, but everybody who is able will be doing what they can to make sure that advice is available.
Yes, we are in contact with the WLGA. The leader of the WLGA was at, and spoke at, the social partnership council earlier this morning. I'm really grateful, as ever, to our local authority colleagues for their willingness to go above and beyond what would normally be expected of them, particularly in this case of mobilising the systems that will allow that business support to reach the people for whom it is intended.

Natasha Asghar AS: First Minister, with the new work-from-home requirement in place, I'm sure we can all appreciate a lot of people who use buses to commute to and from work will naturally no longer be passengers on the bus network. I'm sure we're all aware that the Welsh Government will probably underwrite Transport for Wales's losses, but what action will you take to support bus operators across Wales who will also see ticket sales slump eventually? And will you be pushing Transport for Wales to be prepared to expand the services quicker than we've seen after previous lockdowns and restrictions, especially during periods of high demand, such as sporting events, as well as enabling people to take public transport to return to work when it's possible again to do so? Thank you.

Mark Drakeford AC: Llywydd, we will publish statutory guidance for the public transport sector, including the bus sector, as to how they can operate safely in a regime of 2m distancing, giving them the comfort that there are mitigating measures they can take to cope with the demand that will still be there. That will be a different level of advice, and, as I say, it will be statutory guidance that we will issue this time. Transport for Wales will, I know, want to run as many services as they possibly can, provided they can do that safely. Their staff are being affected by the omicron variant, and by the delta variant here in Wales, and where there are fewer people available to provide a service, the nature of that service has to alter in order to continue safely.

Joyce Watson AC: First Minister, what I would like to hear from you is a big 'thank you' to the teachers who have kept the schools open, very often in difficult circumstances because of reduced numbers, and also a request, ahead of the shops reopening under greater restrictions, for some respect for those retail workers, so that we don't go into 2022 with the same awful stories of retail workers being subject to abuse, verbally and physically, that we've seen in this year. Thank you.

Mark Drakeford AC: I thank Joyce Watson very much for those points. I want to thank all those people who work in our public services, and, of course, that includes teachers. We know that the autumn term has been a challenging term in many parts of Wales, with the efforts of people at the front line—teaching staff, teaching assistants, other people who make schools what they are. We've relied on them hugely, and I thank them and all those other people. I mentioned refuse collection workers earlier—without them, we know that the civilised life we are used to living would not be the same.
I absolutely want to echo what Joyce Watson said: our retail workers have absolutely been front-line workers during the pandemic. When everything else was closed, they were there every day facing members of the public, often at a time when we knew a lot less than we do now about how to keep one another safe from this pandemic. They have been unsung heroes of the pandemic, and it is absolutely disgraceful that members of the public, a small minority, we know—. At the end of the day, when you go home, you don't remember all the people who were nice to you; you remember that small number of people who carry out those disgraceful actions that Joyce Watson pointed to. I condemn without reservation people who think that the rules don't apply to them, and who think that they can take it out on people who are only there doing their best day in, day out, not particularly highly paid for doing so. If it wasn't for those efforts, we would all have been in a far, far more difficult place.

Peter Fox AS: Thank you for taking questions, First Minister. As we know, the UK Government has made available nearly £9 billion to tackle COVID-19 in Wales to date, and we know that there's an additional £270 million coming to Wales to spend on the booster campaign and financial support for business. I also note the Wales Governance Centre reported that the Government still has about £500 million of unallocated COVID-19 funding left in the budget for this year. So, we know there's a significant amount of money, and I really welcome the doubling of support for businesses today. On Monday, you laid out your plans for the next financial year, but when will you be laying a more comprehensive programme of support over and above what you've announced today, thinking ahead of what might be necessary going forward? And finally, recognising the festive season, how will pantomimes and their venues fare for support? Thank you.

Mark Drakeford AC: I thank Peter Fox for those points. I recognise, as I try always to do, the point he's made—the significant sums of money that the UK Government has mobilised to deal with the pandemic. The point to remember, though, is that that is to deal with all the consequences of the pandemic, not just the business impact that we are seeing, but everything we've asked the health service to do: the track and trace system, the vaccination programme, the extra measures we've had to take in the care home sector, the £24 million that my colleague the education Minister announced over and above all the extra money we've put into schools and colleges to support those young people who are facing examinations next year, and the huge effort that has gone on to house homeless people during the pandemic. We are providing millions of pounds every month to local authorities in Wales to allow them to go on doing that. That's why we have £500 million, or whatever the figure is today, left during the final quarter of this financial year, because prudent budgeting says you don't use all the money you've got on day one—you have to space that money out. And thank goodness we do have it, because that's why we've been able to announce the £120 million.
I have to say gently to the Member, because I know he's a close steward of these things, that the £270 million from the UK Government is not extra money; it's an ability to draw forward money that they've already provided to us, and if we use it now it may not be available to us in the future. That will depend upon spending decisions that are made in England, rather than spending decisions that are made in Wales. So, it's not straightforwardly extra money at all. The fact that we have husbanded our resources so that we have money still in reserve in this last quarter is absolutely what has allowed us to go ahead and make those announcements in the last couple of days for the sports sector, for the cultural sector and now for businesses more widely. We will be making further allocations, I'm absolutely sure, to help the health service to pay for the accelerated booster programme and to help others who will have needs that they have not been able to budget for because of the omicron impact in the remaining months of this financial year.

Apologies to those who I haven't been able to call. Finally, Gareth Davies.

Gareth Davies AS: I really appreciate that, Llywydd. Thank you for squeezing me in at the end, and thank you very much to the First Minister for your statement this afternoon. I want to focus my question on social care and care homes, if possible, because I was reading through Public Health Wales data this morning saying that 70 per cent of the workforce are vaccinated, and 86 per cent of care home residents. I'm just wondering, with the drive in the booster jabs, where they will fare and how you'll ensure that the workforce and care home residents are vaccinated. And the guidance to visitors hasn't been updated since July—that's visitors, not direct care home guidance itself. So, what additional support is being offered for care home residents over this Christmas period to ensure that residents are still being able to be seen by families?
If I may, at the end, I just want to touch on education briefly in schools, in asking whether schools will be able to reopen in January, given the pressures at the moment. I think it's 10 January that they're due back. Can you give any assurances to the education sector today, First Minister? Thank you.

Mark Drakeford AC: I thank the Member for those questions. In relation to schools, Members will know that the education Minister wrote to all headteachers before the end of term setting the first two days of the new school term as planning and preparation days. In that letter to headteachers, he asked schools to prepare for two sorts of futures. One is a future in which children are largely still in the classroom, but needing, in the light of omicron, protections at the top end of the spectrum of protections that are set out in the local framework that schools are able to draw on. That is things like mask wearing and other ways in which schools can mitigate the impact of the virus. The second future that he says schools should prepare for is a future in which, because teachers may fall ill or the number of children who have coronavirus rises, they have to revert temporarily to a mixture of classroom and online learning. At the moment, none of us could predict the basis on which each school in Wales will be able to reopen, but those two planning days allow the people who are closest to those decisions to put in place the arrangements they will need for either of those scenarios, and to be able to make the decisions that most closely reflect the circumstances that they themselves are facing.
As far as care homes are concerned, I believed, Llywydd, that we had just published additional guidance for visitors. Apologies if it's just about to be published, but I've seen the guidance, so I know it is there, and for some reason, in my head, I thought we had already published it. It allows visits to go ahead over the Christmas period, but it tries to make sure that they're done safely. I know that the Member will be aware that coronavirus gets into care homes in many different ways, it's a very cunning virus. But one of the ways it comes in is when other people visit and bring it with them, so everybody wants to avoid that if at all possible.
In relation to the numbers of care home staff and residents who have had the booster, I think the numbers are high and they continue to rise. Part of the reason why not everybody has been boosted is because some people will not be well enough to be boosted, some people will have had coronavirus in the recent past, and you've got to leave so many days go before you can get the booster. As I said in answer to an earlier question, Llywydd, we are mobilising the primary care workforce to help us with care home vaccinations, because you are dealing with a vulnerable population, many of whom will have other healthcare conditions. If you're a fit 30- or 40-year-old turning up at a mass vaccination centre, we've been able to mobilise other people who are able to help with that, but you need people with the level of rounded medical knowledge and skill that our primary care workforce have in order to be able to offer vaccinations successfully and carefully in a care home setting, and that's how we are using the workforce here in Wales.

Thank you very much, First Minister, and thank you to you all for your contributions this afternoon.

Let me for the second time take the opportunity to wish you a very merry Christmas. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I don't have to wish you a merry Christmas for a third time; I'm sure I won't need to do that.

May I thank everyone who facilitated this meeting this afternoon—the staff who have worked to ensure that the meeting could take place so effectively, with one notable exception, namely my broadband in Aberaeron? But that wasn't the staff's fault. And may I also give thanks to everyone who will be working across Wales over Christmas to keep us all safe, and that, I'm sure, will include some of you who are attending this meeting too? So, I hope everyone can look after themselves, their friends, their families and their communities. I look forward to seeing you, hopefully, in the new year. Merry Christmas.

The meeting ended at 15:21.